On Graduation

驪歌聲聲在飛揚， 桃李盈盈吐芬芳，
我們是時代的群英， 前程如朝陽。
歡樂年年共一堂， 幸福綿綿比天長，
今日依依惜別後， 不忘相懷想。
青山綠水景常新， 及時努力奮志強，
乘長風破萬里浪， 鍾靈有輝光。

Time and Tide wait for no Man.

This song, written in early 2003, became the graduation song of the Graduates of 2003. This song, was thought by many to be musically and audibly simple, too simple. This song, yet, became a powerful torrent, when the Graduates of 2003, now graduating for the second time in 2005, united their voices and shook the very air of the Hall.

Commissioned by the 11th Principal of CLHS, Teh Kwan Liek (Now Administration Manager at Disted-Stamford) for the 2002 graduates, it was not fated to be theirs. The first script was rejected by Teh himself as unspecific, too far removed from the culture of the school. The second script, which was tailored to Chung Ling, was written in January 2003. It was accepted. This song meant much to Teh, for it was the final time he would be attending the Graduation Ceremony as Principal.

On 19th of October 2005, 732 days after the Graduation Ceremony of 2003 (17th of October 2003), we graduated. Again. Nostalgia hit me both times during both ceremonies. Some relished finally being set free from the shackles of High School, but little do they know what they would come to regret some day. The Secondary School Phase of our life is over, but its memories will accompany us to the ends of the Earth.

After this, we will proceed on with Tertiary Schooling, but it is much different from that of Secondary. Given that all of us possess varying interests, we shall end up in different fields of knowledge, some theoratical, some pratical, some in between.

There is only one thing certain in life, that is, Uncertainty.

Where would we be 10 years from now? Where would we stand? Another Question would be would Tekko still be shaking his hands when he lectures just before retirement :P

The only thing almost certain about then from the present perspective can be summed up by a chinese proverb "行行出状元"

Forgive me for my rambling today, it was caused by too much nostalgia by working on the Graduation Song - MIDI Version, which you all should be listening to now. A rough prototype, I concede, but with no musical knowledge, there isn't much I can do. Except maybe dissect See Tatt's Graduation Song - Congo-Bongo Version.

As one line goes, 今日依依惜別後， 不忘相懷想 ...